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Explorer with Unknown Motives / Mirror
This painting depicts that of a human, who appears to be half-human and half-skeleton. There are 3 scenarios/theories about who this character is and the backstory behind the painting. Scenario 1 According to what is stated in a particular note, this could be a mirror and not a painting ("I wouldn't look into the mirror"). What is pictured in this is probably the character you control, distorted because the mirror is apparently cursed. Scenario 2 This is more likely to be the case, than Scenario 1. According to events and information acquired from both Dungeon Nightmares games, this is a painting picturing the Explorer with Unknown Motives, just before he died. According to one of the Backstory Notes (Day 19), he had started to slowly turn into "one of them". Also, based on Mary's Painting information and the last Backstory Note, he died in the end. Apparently, his painting appeared in the dungeon after his death, just like what happened with Mary. With this being a painting and not a mirror, it makes more sense that it could reappear in Dungeon Nightmares II, and it DOES. This also seems to back up the theory about the Explorer's soul haunting the Dark Skeletons in the second game. If this is the case, then the note "I wouldn't look into the mirror" implies that anyone staying for too long in the dungeon could eventually turn into a monster, thus not being a reason to reject Scenario 2. Scenario 3 Similar to Scenario 2, this theory relies on the basis of both Dungeon Nightmares games. According to this theory, the man pictured here is the Explorer with Unknown Motives (the character played as in the first game). Following the notes, specifically Days 25-28, he states that he sees a bright light (the exit), apologizes for whoever reads the note left behind, and ends up presumably dying at Day 28 due to it just being symbols. From analyzing the painting closely enough, the Explorer with Unknown Motives could be identified as the burnt skeleton from Dungeon Nightmares II that is clutching the staff key (on Night 4, before the elevator is used). Evidence to back this theory comes from this painting itself. If viewed carefully, what can be assumed to be keys can be seen on the ribcage and shirt pocket of the painting. With this evidence, it could be pieced together that the Explorer with Unknown Motives believed he successfully escaped the Dungeon (Night 7) through escaping from what looked like an exit to bright light. Due to the fact that he is heavily effected by Pavor Nocturnus throughout his time finding the exit, the Explorer could have been imagining this bright light. In climbing out of the Dungeon, a set of stairs (found in the staircase in the hotel in the second game) was set before him. Climbing to the top only to reach the bars blocking his freedom, he was trapped and presumably burned down to the bone, similar to Mary. Having only keys on his body, these are the staff keys that are acquired by the woman who is played as in the second game. Furthermore, in Dungeon Nightmares II, the player sees Mary behind the bars on Night 4 in the hotel section before night itself. Once the lights go out, next to the staircase that leads to the Explorer’s body, only Mary is seen. She is heavily breathing, almost like she is out of breath, and looking downwards instead of up. The player then walks down the staircase, viewing how the Explorer killed Mary through a set of pictures, and then sees his body once reaching the set of bars that block the rest of the staircase. Bear in mind that this is the only relation to keys being seen anywhere in the game. Although the player picks up the staff key in Dungeon Nightmares II, the key itself cannot be seen by the player. This is the closest conclusion as to why there is a staff key in the first place, and possibly sheds a little light on who the Explorer is as a character. The Result The most possible to be true scenarios are 2 and 3, which could both be true at the same time, with the one completing the other. If it's true, this means that the Explorer with Unknown Motives did have the key and died, but also started haunting the Dark Skeletons after his death. Mechanics When near it, a constant vibration-like sound can be heard. It is loud enough to cover many other sound effects in the background, like the BGM and the heartbeat. If the player stares at it for too long, a red skull appears, covering the half-human half-skeleton being on the painting and death occurs. The red skull resembles the Flying Skull, an enemy encountered in Dungeon Nightmares II. Category:Paintings